Rondo ’56: Remembering St Paul’s Black Main Street

With its four musical hosts, Rondo '56 paints a portrait in music, stories and archival photos of St. Paul's thriving Black neighborhood in the decade before it was sliced down the middle to make room for I-94. Brimming with first-hand accounts and iconic R&B and gospel favorites from the decade after World War II and before the freeway, Rondo '56 is a loving evocation of this two-mile-long neighborhood centered on Rondo Avenue, a vibrant and tight-knit community that was home to most of St. Paul's Black residents.

Rondo '56 was created in 2010 by pianist Dan Chouinard as a commission from the Minnesota Historical Society and in consultation with Rondo elders and performer colleagues who lived in Rondo. Ten years later the show was substantially updated in collaboration with vocalists and co-hosts T Mychael Rambo, Thomasina Petrus and Charmin Michelle. Since its debut, the show has been presented by the MN Historical Society, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community (Minneapolis), White Bear Lake Unitarian, Hamline United Methodist, and Crooners Supper Club (Fridley).